


Timelapse: A Man Who Can't Say No

by myaekingheart



Category: Back to the Future (Movies)
Genre: Break Up Talk, F/M, Post-High School, Strained Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27130714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myaekingheart/pseuds/myaekingheart
Summary: The future is malleable, for better or for worse. And for Marty, the future he envisioned seems to be quickly fading.[Happy Back to the Future Day!](Originally written in 2015, as the first chapter of a fanfic I started and then did not touch for five years.)
Relationships: Marty McFly/Jennifer Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Timelapse: A Man Who Can't Say No

Smoke filled the room as fingers strummed against coarse guitar strings. The music blared, the lights strobed, and sweat rolled down Marty's neck as the symphony erupting behind him proved to be a time machine in it's own right. The audience before him transformed into a panel of stony-faced judges lined up in the gymnasium. In his peripheral vision stood the brightest light: Jennifer. She had always had such faith in his music, constantly convincing him he was a worthy musician. A lump rose in his throat as the scene transformed back into the hearty crowd bouncing before him. She wasn't there. She was never there.

As _The Pinheads_ reached curtain call, a withdrawn Marty hopped backstage and, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, made a beeline for the payphone. He swiftly dialed the number he had memorized front and back since it was scrawled across his notebook and waited as each ring sent a new wave of panic through his veins. No answer. With a groan, he banged his fist against the wall and drunkenly listened to her voicemail greeting once again, though this time it was interrupted by the constant, condescending dial tone. Looking up, Marty's eyes landed on the taunting grin of Max, the drummer, his finger pressed against the switchhook.

"You're killing yourself, McFly", he said, a lit cigarette clenched between his teeth. There was a light coat of stubble already on his face and his usually teased hair had fallen flat from the sweat buildup. "That's the fourth time tonight. Don't you think you should give it a rest? She doesn't want to talk to you, man, it's over." He flicked the excess ash onto the pavement and his eyes quickly followed a flock of spandex-clad dancers crossing their paths as he took another drag.

Marty narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "No. No, it's not over until she says it's over. Until she says we're through, that she doesn't love me anymore. _That's_ when it's over. Until then, she's still my girlfriend and I'm still gonna keep calling her."

This obsessive calling was nothing new and Max huffed an exasperated puff of smoke as he pressed his back against the wall. "It's been three weeks. I don't think a straightforward denouement is exactly necessary here. You ought to cut the crap now before she files a restraining order on your ass."

Deep down, Marty knew to an extent that he and Jennifer's relationship had long been terminated. He still found himself refusing the end, though. He had known of the future they could have together-- the success they could reap and the happiness they could sow. They had been on adventures beyond anyone's wildest dreams and yet somehow, those adventures had wedged them further away. Within the past three weeks, the closest thing they had ever gotten to a conversation were brief blips filled with artificially flavored excuses. They filled the void yet left a bitter aftertaste. He was desperate for real answers.

Driving home that night, the lights lining the streets lulled Marty into a stupor as details of her image flashed before his eyes and filled him with angst. He almost made a U-turn to the college in hopes of finding her lonely and in distress, in need of a pick-me-up, but quickly deduced that that wasn't the best solution. He longed for the days when she'd call two, three, even four times a night, her crackling laughter on the other end of the phone line as they'd ramble on past midnight. She'd be sitting up in bed in an oversized t-shirt she had stolen from him, absentmindedly skimming a book or painting her nails, and he'd be laying on his bed smiling at his great fortune. If he could just pinpoint the moment in which everything fell to shit, perhaps he could go back in time and fix whatever the problem was. But no, that would be too dangerous. As Doc had uttered time and time again, "Time travel is dangerous." Marty shook his head as he repeated it alongside Doc's voice in his head.

That night, he could barely sleep. He sat up until the wee morning hours flipping through his yearbook and staring at her picture. When it started out, everything had seemed so innocent. She was bright, optimistic, funny. Her smile, he was sure, could light up the entire city in it's brilliance. She never gave up on him, even when he feared he'd turn out a loser, like his father in a distant memory. As the clock passed one, two, three in the morning, he groaned and wrapped an arm over his eyes in hopelessness. She was slipping through his fingers like quicksand.

Just as he was dwelling, though, the phone suddenly erupted. Marty jolted upright. Scrambling to answer, he snatched the receiver and faked a sleepy voice. "H-hello...?"

"Marty? Hi..."

It was Jennifer. His heart raced as he sat up and his fingers twitched for something to do. "Aw, Jennifer! Hi!"

"I'm sorry I haven't answered your calls, you see, I've got a big test I have to study for. Biology midterm. It's really important. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Her voice was angelic despite the crackling from their phone's shoddy line.

"No, I just, uh, I wanted to see how you were. We haven't talked in a while", he lied. His heart ached to tell her everything that had been building up inside for three weeks-- the good, the bad, and the ugly-- but he restrained himself from word-vomiting into the receiver.

"Oh, well I've been fine. I was actually wondering-- do you want to go out to dinner sometime? Say, Friday night?" And there it was. The bomb had dropped. This unfaltering desire that had been hanging over his head for so long had finally burst through the phone lines, orchestrated by her voice.

"Yes! Yes, that would be fantastic! Just give me a time and a place and I'll-I'll-I'll-I'll be there!", he stammered excitedly. His attempts to remain calm failed miserably.

Jennifer smiled on the other end of the phone, though it wasn't quite a happy one. She gave him the details as he scribbled them onto a napkin by his bedside and with that, they bid one another mutual goodnights. Marty grinned and fell back onto his bed, released of his tensions, as he imagined the night he would soon embark upon. She'd get dressed up and he'd wear a nice shirt. They'd reunite and all the balance in his life would be restored once again. It was only a few nights away. Just a few more strained nights.


End file.
